The Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders connected on a massive draft day trade involving Noah Dobson. Montreal picked up the 25-year-old defenseman for 23-year-old Emil Heineman and two first-round picks. Dobson was a restricted free agent before signing an extension with Montreal. Dobson spoke with New York Post reporter Ethan Sears about the trade and how it came about.

“Once conversations started with my representation, we tried to work on finding a deal and staying on Long Island. That was always the goal at the start. Unable to find any common ground on that. At some point, we just felt best to go in different directions and maybe look for a trade. I got nothing but great things to say about the Islanders organization and my time there, and wish them nothing but the best moving forward. At the end of the day, things like this happen.

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He continued, saying it was a mutual decision. The Canadiens paid him $9.5 million per season for the next eight seasons, which new Islanders GM Mathieu Darche was unwilling to do. Darche used both of those picks, selecting Viktor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson 16th and 17th overall, respectively.

The Islanders drafted Dobson 12th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and he played 388 games for them. But they saw his value differently than he and his agents did, so the relationship is over. The Canadiens are getting another offensive defenseman to pair with Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson on the blue line.

The Islanders now go into free agency with a pile of cap space and a hole to fill on their defense. Right-handed defensemen are valuable in the NHL, and they sent one packing in favor of future assets. The Canadiens are looking to push for another playoff spot and are cashing in their chips to win now.